Major League Baseball unveiled its 2023 regular season schedule Wednesday, and fans won’t have to wait until next April to watch their favorite teams take the field.
Opening Day 2023 is set to take place March 30 and fans from all 30 MLB teams should be excited about that.
In addition to the 2023 season starting March 30, MLB made additional tweaks to the regular season schedule. Here are five things to know about the 2023 MLB season.
All 30 teams will play on Opening Day
There’s no bigger letdown than getting ready for the start of the baseball season only to realize your team isn’t scheduled to play on Opening Day. That won’t be the case in 2023. All 30 teams are once again slated to open the season on March 30.
That’s been MLB’s strategy in recent seasons. The league planned for all 30 teams to open the season in both 2022 and 2021, although neither season saw a full slate of games on Opening Day. The 2022 season was pushed back due to labor issues in the offseason. The year eventually opened late, with eight games played on Opening Day.
The 2021 saw 13 games played on Opening Day. The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox were scheduled to play, but got postponed due to rain. The New York Mets and Washington Nationals’ game was postponed as a result of positive COVID-19 cases.
Here’s hoping the 2023 schedule kicks off with every single team taking the field.
Teams will play a more balanced schedule
Tired of your team missing out on a playoff spot because a weaker club in a horrible division got in? That should be less of an issue in 2023. Teams will play a more balanced schedule next season. Instead of playing 76 games within the division, teams will play 52 games in their division.
To further balance the level of competition around the league, every MLB team will have at least one series against the other 29 teams in baseball. As a result, interleague games will be more frequent. Previously, teams played 20 interleague games per season. That figure is 46 in 2023.
No more beating up on your weak division mates. If you want to make the postseason in 2023, you’ll have to earn it.
Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente will be honored once again
MLB will pay tribute to two of its biggest names during the 2023 season. Jackie Robinson Day will take place April 15, and will feature all 30 teams. The league has celebrated Jackie Robinson Day for years, and went all out in April for the 75th anniversary of Robinson breaking the league’s color barrier in 1947.
Roberto Clemente Day will take place Sep. 15 and will also feature all 30 MLB teams. The league has celebrated Roberto Clemente Day for years, and has expanded on its tributes to Clemente in recent seasons. The Pittsburgh Pirates all wore No. 21 in honor of Clemente during a 2020 game. In 2021, the league allowed all uniformed personnel of Puerto Rican descent the ability to wear No. 21 on their jersey on Roberto Clemente Day.
MLB is going to London
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will participate in a two-game series in London on June 24 and 25. The series and its dates were previously announced in early August. MLB held a London Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in 2019, marking the first time regular-season games were played in Europe.
The Cubs and Cardinals were supposed to take part in the London Series in 2020, but the games were canceled due to COVID-19. The two teams will make right on that cancellation in 2023.
MLB intends to play a number of games internationally over the next couple of seasons, and have teased contests in Asia, Mexico, Latin America and Europe.
The final day of the 2023 MLB season is Oct. 1
The 2023 MLB regular season is set to finish Oct. 1. That’s slightly earlier than normal. The 2022 regular season, by comparison, will wrap Oct. 5.
MLB has not released a postseason schedule for the 2023 MLB season, and likely won’t reveal that information until next August. With the 2023 regular season ending Oct. 1, it’s possible the World Series will conclude before November.
That won’t be the case this year. Game 4 of the 2022 World Series will take place Nov. 1, ensuring baseball will be on your television after Halloween.